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December 3rd, 2008, 09:01 AM
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#1 | | Automatic Rifleman
Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tampa Bay, Florida
Posts: 155
| Vets of the 173rd Abn Bde
Are there any of you out there?
I was with the unit from Oct 2002 - Sep 2006, mainly with the 2nd Bn (Abn) 503rd Infantry.
Let's get new vets and old vets here!
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January 15th, 2009, 07:19 PM
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#2 | | R T Delta
Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New Tripoli, Pa
Posts: 2,611
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I was with the Brigade in 1966 in Vietnam.
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January 15th, 2009, 11:38 PM
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#3 | | Old Salt
Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: IL
Posts: 1,000
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'69/70 with the Herd. 
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January 16th, 2009, 07:14 AM
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#4 | | Automatic Rifleman
Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tampa Bay, Florida
Posts: 155
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Ricca  I was with the Brigade in 1966 in Vietnam. | Only 66? Or into 67 and the jump...
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January 16th, 2009, 07:17 AM
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#5 | | Automatic Rifleman
Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tampa Bay, Florida
Posts: 155
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Which BN were you guys with?
Do you have any old photos you can share?
I had a disposable camera, when we went to Iraq. One time I got out of the HMMWV, and left the camera there, it probably had 2 shots left on it, and 20 odd amazing, unreplicable photos of me and my platoon and our advance from Bashir Airfield down to Kirkuk, including our first days in Kirkuk.
Some damn local stole it out of the HMMWV (it was in the shotgun seat... the RTO/driver failed me)...
I imagine it was some kid.
Whoever it was, I am pretty upset about losing those memories!
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January 16th, 2009, 08:26 AM
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#6 | | Fire Team Leader
Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: texas
Posts: 188
| the herd
67-69. Made the move from Bien Hoa to An Khe. And just about every other place MACV sent us.
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January 16th, 2009, 03:14 PM
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#7 | | Designated Marksman
Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Epping, NH
Posts: 624
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The last Mayor I worked under before I retired from the PD in NJ was a veteran of the 173rd. He always promised to show some of the photos he had from his tour. He was a great guy to work with and fully supported my people currently activated with their guard and reserve units.
This was a section from an article run in our local paper last Veteran's Day..
Never-ending torrential rain. Blood-thirsty
leeches. Red ants zigzagging along bare skin
encased under drenched fatigues. And the
constant threat of an enemy attack.
In the summer of 1966, for 27 days, the Army's
173rd Airborne served alongside a U.S. Marine
brigade as they conducted a search-and-destroy
mission in the thick jungles of Vietnam.
Among the young men whose boots were on the
ground was none other than Secaucus Mayor
Dennis Elwell. This mission, known as Operation
Toledo, successfully forced the North
Vietnamese army and the Viet Cong to retreat
and abandon a cache of munitions and food
rations."
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January 17th, 2009, 07:24 AM
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#8 | | R T Delta
Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New Tripoli, Pa
Posts: 2,611
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I never made the move up north. I came in Dec 65 and left circa 20 Dec 66.
When the 1st Cav lost a lot of guys in Nov of 65, they needed Airborne qualified replacements. As I had lots of 1049's trying to get to Vietnam, I was among one of the first replacements.
On leave my orders were changed from the 1st Cav to the 173d.
Served with the provisional platoon LRRP which at that time was attached to Troop E, 17th Cav. In later years it was attached directly to Brigade headquarters and eventually became November Company, 75th Rangers.
I am happy to say it was the 173d that started the whole concept of LRP, was the earliest unit to run patrols, and I was in the ground level of development.
Parts of the Brigade worked with a Marine unit, I remember that. I also remember us working with the 25th Division, a South Vietnamese Unit, and the Big Red one.
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January 21st, 2009, 06:38 AM
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#9 | | Automatic Rifleman
Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tampa Bay, Florida
Posts: 155
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That's a pretty cool tidbit, regarding the LRP formation. I didn't know they were the first to institute it in Viet Nam. Of course, similar things existed prior to Viet Nam, but never by the name of LRP, and probably not based on such small team sizes.
How big were your teams?
What kind of arms did you all carry to suppliment your numbers?
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January 21st, 2009, 08:59 AM
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#10 | | R T Delta
Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New Tripoli, Pa
Posts: 2,611
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When I arrived everybody was carrying XM16E1's and each team had 1 M79. Occassionally there would be an M60 on patrol, but never on my team.
We also had two South Vietnamese assigned to each team for a very short while, but after a few incidents of stealing, they were sent back to their own unit. The two assigned to my team had a 1919A4, and that was where I first fired one, in the rear area. After the South Vietnamese left, I never say any bulky, heavy weapons again. They left before I got to run a mission, so my only experience with them was rear area.
Each team was 6 guys. A few "double team" patrols were instituted, but that was the exception, not the rule.
We carried various colored smoke grenades, and either WP or Thermite, claymores, explosives, and M26 Frag Grenades, which were taken away from us and sent to the infantry battalions. They had priority and we were issued WWII MkII Pineapples. After there were enough M26's back in supply, we used up all the MkII's through rear area training and got the M26's again. The M26 was far superior.
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April 14th, 2009, 04:12 PM
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#11 | | Snappin In
Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hawai'i
Posts: 18
| Vietman
......was with D/3/503d Inf. '68
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May 14th, 2009, 01:04 PM
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#12 | | Snappin In
Join Date: May 2009 Location: Washington State
Posts: 23
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I was with the 173rd from February of 64 to May of 66. Okinowa and then May 5th 65 to nam. Started out in Vung Tau and then to Bien Hoa......the rest is history. "All The Way!!" Boland would be proud!!
Last edited by Andy65; May 18th, 2009 at 09:51 AM.
Reason: Didn't like the first sentence! Could have been take not as I meant it.
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May 15th, 2009, 06:09 AM
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#13 | | Automatic Rifleman
Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tampa Bay, Florida
Posts: 155
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy65 How cool is this? I was with the 173rd from February of 64 to May of 66. Okinowa and then May 5th 65 to nam. Started out in Vung Tau and then to Bien Hoa......the rest is history. "All The Way!!" Boland would be proud!! |
Wow! First in country! Very cool. I bet you have interesting stories.
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May 17th, 2009, 11:59 PM
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#14 | | Snappin In
Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hawai'i
Posts: 18
| 3d Bat.
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May 21st, 2009, 08:37 PM
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#15 | | Newbie
Join Date: May 2009 Location: Laconia NH
Posts: 6
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I was with Aco 3/505 3rd plt/3rd sqd, from 89-1994. Panama invasion in 89 and desert storm in 90-91. combat jump 500 ft at 2am in Panama. Not real fun. went on a red light as stick pusher, 2 miles past drop zone .and all alone for the night. nothing but a scared 19yr old kid. FNG to boot. The only comfort was an m249 saw with 1,000 rnds. 2 xtra boxes over combat load. 110 pound ruck /40 lb LBE and 15 LB saw on a 150 kid. Beleave it or not I didn't even notice the weight, (especially getting shot at) . guess that's whut being young does for you. In Saudi we were the first us soldiers to put boots to the ground. Made it up into Basra and Nasaria in Iraq. 
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for a month of jungle training living in the swamps.Half went by convoy and the other half jumped by C-130s including the Com.Sgt.Major and the Battalion Commander.We left out of Oakland,CA via the USS Whiplle stoping at Midway Is. for repairs(WWll troop ship),then another island for more repairs then to Subic Bay for a few days and then on to VietNam.Was with 4 Duece until 30 Jan.'67 and finished my tour with Delta Co. as a 11Bush.Got tagged 2June(got hit in the leg),malaria x2 and got "wounded"(with a few other trooops) in Sin City,Camp Radcliff,An Khe.This establishment was set up by the 1st Cav back in '65.When the Cav moved north we took over the base along with the 4th Inf.Div. 'nuff for now Regards Robert McKee
